Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distin ...

rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the

second-in-command Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation. Usage In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, ...

on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a captain general. In modern armies, lieutenant general normally ranks immediately below

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

and above

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

; it is equivalent to the navy rank of vice admiral, and in air forces with a separate rank structure, it is equivalent to air marshal. A lieutenant general commands an

army corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

, made up of typically three army divisions, and consisting of around 60 000 to 70 000 soldiers (U.S.). The seeming incongruity that a lieutenant general outranks a major general (whereas a major outranks a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

) is due to the derivation of major general from

sergeant major general Sergeant major general is a now mostly extinct name of military rank. A prominent example was Philip Skippon in the English New Model Army as organized by Oliver Cromwell. Over the course of the 17th century, the increasing professionalisatio ...

, which was a rank subordinate to lieutenant general (as a lieutenant outranks a sergeant major). In contrast, in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

and a number of other countries of the former

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, lieutenant general is a ''two''-star rank, immediately below colonel general, and above

– in these systems this last rank having one star, without any use of the

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed t ...

of many Western countries. However, some countries of Latin America (such as Brazil and Chile) use divisional general as the equivalent of lieutenant general. In addition, because no brigadier general rank is used in Japan and Taiwan, lieutenant general is the rank of divisional commander. Therefore, it corresponds to divisional general of these countries. In a number of smaller states which employ NATO and western style military organisational structures, because of the limited number of soldiers in their armies, the rank of lieutenant general is the highest army rank in use. In Latvia, Lithuania, and Singapore, the chief of defence is a lieutenant general, and in the Irish Defence Forces and Israel Defence Forces, the Chief of Staff holds this rank.

Lieutenant general ranks by country

* Lieutenant general (Australia) * Lieutenant general (Bangladesh) * '' General-pukovnik'' (Bosnia & Herzegovina) * Lieutenant-general (Canada) * (Finland) * (Estonia) * (Germany) * Lieutenant General (India) *

Lieutenant general (Pakistan) Lieutenant General is a Three-star rank, three-star army officer rank in the Pakistan Army. It is equivalent to a vice admiral in the Pakistan Navy and an air marshal in the Pakistan Air Force. A lieutenant general is also called a three-star g ...

* Lieutenant general (Sri Lanka) * (Sweden) *

Lieutenant general (United Kingdom) Lieutenant general (Lt Gen), formerly more commonly lieutenant-general, is a senior rank in the British Army and the Royal Marines. It is the equivalent of a multinational three-star rank; some British lieutenant generals sometimes wear three- ...

* Lieutenant general (United States)

Army ranks

File:ALB-Army-OF-8.svg,
( Albanian Army) File:Angola-Army-OF-8.svg,
(

Angolan Army The Angolan Army () is the land component of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA). History On August 1, 1974, a few months after a military coup d'état had overthrown the Lisbon regime and proclaimed its intention of granting independence to Angola, ...

) File:Argentina-Army-OF-9.svg,
( Argentine Army) File:Armenia-Army-OF-7.svg,

( Armenian Ground Forces) File:Australian Army OF-8.svg, Lieutenant general
(

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

) File:Bundesheer - Rank insignia - Generalleutnant.png,
( Austrian Army) File:17.AzLF-LG.png,
( Azerbaijani Land Forces) File:Bangladesh-army-OF-8.svg, Lieutenant general

( Bangladesh Army) File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-7.svg,

( Belarusian Ground Forces) File:Army-BEL-OF-08.svg,
( Belgian Land Component) File:15.Bhutan Army-LG.svg,
Lieutenant general
(

Royal Bhutan Army The Royal Bhutan Army (RBA; dz, བསྟན་སྲུང་དམག་སྡེ་, bStan-srung dmag-sde) is a branch of the armed forces of the Kingdom of Bhutan responsible for maintaining the country's territorial integrity and sovereign ...

) File:Rank insignia of Генерал-лейтенант of the Bulgarian Army.png,

( Bulgarian Land Forces) File:Botswana-Army-OF-8.svg, Lieutenant general
( Botswana Ground Force) File:18.RBrLF-LG.svg,
( Royal Brunei Land Forces) File:Blank.svg,

( Burundi Army) File:Canadian Army OF-8.svg, Lieutenant-general

(

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases acr ...

) File:DR Congo Army OF-8.svg,
( Land Forces of the DR Congo) File:CzArmy 2011 OF8-Generalporucik shoulder.svg,
( Czech Land Forces) File:Denmark-Army-OF-8-M11.svg,
( Royal Danish Army) File:Capona Teniente General Ejercito Nacional.svg,
( Dominican Army) File:Estonia-Army-OF-8.svg,
(

Estonian Land Forces The Estonian Land Forces ( et, Maavägi), unofficially referred to as the Estonian Army, is the name of the unified ground forces among the Estonian Defense Forces where it has an offensive military formation role. It is currently the largest ...

) File:Kenraaliluutnantti M05.svg,

( Finnish Army) File:15.Gambian Army-LG.svg, Lieutenant general
( Gambian National Army) File:Georgia-Army-OF-8.svg,

( Georgian Land Forces) File:HD H 63 Generalleutnant.svg,
( German Army) File:15-Ghana Army-LG.svg, Lieutenant general
( Ghana Army) File:14. Guinea-Bissau LG.svg,
( Army of Guinea-Bissau) File:Haiti-Army-OF-8.svg,
( Haitian Army) File:Lieutenant General of the Indian Army.svg, Lieutenant general

(

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four ...

) File:21-TNI Army-LG.svg,
( Indonesian Army) File:Ireland-Army-OF-8.svg, Lieutenant-general

( Irish Army) File:IT-Army-OF8.svg,
( Italian Army) File:Jamaica-Army-OF-8 (new).svg, Lieutenant general
( Jamaican Army) File:18-RKGF-LG.svg,

( Kazakh Ground Forces) File:15. Kenyan Army LG.svg, Lieutenant general
( Kenya Army) File:Kosovo-Army-OF-8.svg,
( Kosovo Security Force) File:LV-Army-OF8.png,
( Latvian Land Forces) File:Blank.svg, Lieutenant general
( Lesotho Army) File:Liberia-Army-OF-8.svg, Lieutenant general
( Liberian Ground Forces) File:21-Lithuania Army-LG.svg,
( Lithuanian Land Forces) File:15. Malawi Army - LG.svg, Lieutenant general
( Malawi Army) File:Malaysia-army-OF-8.svg,
( Malaysian Army) File:Mongolian Army-LTG-service.svg,

( Mongolian Ground Forces) File:Mozambique-Army-OF-7.svg,
(

Mozambican Army The Mozambique Defence Armed Forces ( pt, Forças Armadas de Defesa de Moçambique) or FADM are the national armed forces of Mozambique. They include the General Staff of the Armed Forces and three branches of service: Army, Air Force and Nav ...

) File:15-Namibia Army-LG.svg, Lieutenant general
( Namibian Army) File:Nl-landmacht-luitenant generaal.svg,
( Royal Netherlands Army) File:19.Nepalese Army-LG.svg, Lieutenant general

( Nepali Army) File:New Zealand-Army-OF-8.svg, Lieutenant-general
( New Zealand Army) File:Nigeria-Army-OF-8.svg, Lieutenant general
( Nigerian Army) File:Norway-army-OF-8.svg,
( Norwegian Army) File:OF-8 PakistanArmy.svg, Lieutenant general

( Pakistan Army) File:PA Lt. Gen.png, Lieutenant general
( Philippine Army) File:Army-POR-OF-08.svg,
( Portuguese Army) File:Romania-Army-OF-8.svg,
( Romanian Land Forces) File:Russia-Army-OF-7-2010.svg,

(

Russian Ground Forces The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �В Sukhoputnyye voyska V, also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Gro ...

) File:15-Rwanda Army-LG.svg, Lieutenant general
( Rwandan Land Forces) File:Blank.svg, Lieutenant general
( Sierra Leone Army) File:10-RSA-OF08.svg, Lieutenant general
( Singapore Army) File:Army-SVK-OF-08.svg,
( Slovak Ground Forces) File:Spain-Army-OF-8.svg,
( Spanish Army) File:Sri Lanka-army-OF-8.svg, Lieutenant general
( Sri Lanka Army) File:SAA-OF-8.svg, Lieutenant general
( South African Army) File:Blank.svg, Lieutenant general
( South Sudan Army) File:Blank.svg, Lieutenant general
( Eswatini Army) File:Sweden-Field-OF-8 (2019).svg,
( Swedish Army) File:Tajikistan-Army-OF-7.png,

( Tajik National Army) File:16-Tanzania Army-LG.svg, Lieutenant general

( Tanzanian Army) File:Timor-Leste-Army-OF-8.svg,
( Timor-Leste Army) File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-7.svg,
( Turkmen Ground Forces) File:Uganda-Army-OF-8.svg, Lieutenant general
( Ugandan Army) File:Погон генерал-лейтенанта ЗСУ (2020).svg,

( Ukrainian Ground Forces) File:British Army OF-8.svg, Lieutenant-general
(

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

) File:US Army O9 (Army greens).svg, Lieutenant general
(

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

) File:Blank.svg,
( National Army of Uruguay) File:Uzbekistan-army-OF-7.svg,
( Uzbek Ground Forces) File:Blank.svg, Lieutenant general
( Zambian Army) File:Zimbabwe-Army-OF-8.svg, Lieutenant general
( Zimbabwe National Army)

Air force ranks

File:ALB-Airforce-OF-8.svg, Gjeneral lejtant
( Albanian Air Force) File:BE-Air Force-OF8.svg, ''Lieutenant général'' / ''Luitenant-generaal''
( Belgian Air Component) File:Rank insignia of Генерал-лейтенант of the Bulgarian Air forces.png, ''Генерал-лейтенант''
( Bulgarian Air Force) File:RDAF Lt Gen.svg, ''Generalløjtnant''
( Royal Danish Air Force) File:16 - FAE - Pala de Teniente General - Lieutenant General.jpg, ''Teniente general''
( Ecuadorian Air Force) File:Finland-AirForce-OF-8.svg, '' Kenraaliluutnantti / Generallöjtnant''
( Finnish Air Force) File:Georgia Air Force OF-9.png, ''გენერალ ლეიტენანტი''
( Georgian Air Force) File:Nl-luchtmacht-luitenant generaal.svg, ''Luitenant-generaal''
( Royal Netherlands Air Force) File:PAF LTGEN Svc.svg, ''Tenyente heneral''
( Philippine Air Force) File:Rank insignia of generał broni of the Air Force of Poland.svg, ''Generał broni''
( Polish Air Force) File:TenGen t.jpg, ''Tenente-general''
( Portuguese Air Force) File:Russia-Airforce-OF-7-2010.svg, ''Генера́л-лейтена́нт''
( Russian Aerospace Forces) File:SP-08 Teniente General EA.svg, ''Teniente-general''
( Spanish Air Force) File:OF-8_Generallöjtnant_FV.jpg, ''Generallöjtnant''
( Swedish Air Force) File:Turkey-air-force-OF-8.svg, ''Korgeneral''
( Turkish Air Force) File: UAAF shoulder mark 20.svg, Генерал-лейтенант
( Ukrainian Air Force) File:US Air Force O9 shoulderboard.svg, Lieutenant general
(

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

)

Naval infantry

Generic-Navy-O11.svg,
( Colombian Naval Infantry) 21-TNI Navy-VADM.svg,
( Indonesian Marine Corps) Maldives Army OF-8.svg,
Lieutenant general
( Maldivian Marine Corps) Netherlands-Navy-OF-8.svg,
( Netherlands Marine Corps) 0infant.png,
( Spanish Marine Infantry) Sweden-Navy-OF-8.svg,
(

Swedish Amphibious Corps The Amphibious Corps ( sv, Amfibiekåren, Amf) is the maritime land force arm of the Swedish Navy, with an emphasis on coastal defence. Until 2000 it was known as the Coastal Artillery ( sv, Kustartilleriet), but the name was changed to reflect i ...

) British Royal Marines OF-8.svg, Lieutenant-general
( Royal Marines) US Marine O9 shoulderboard vertical.svg, Lieutenant general
(

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...

) UAN shoulder mark 20.svg,

( Ukrainian Naval Infantry)

References

External links